The next day they move Stephanie in to your room to recover with you

The next morning the doctors told you they were bringing Stephanie in to meet you. They thought it would be good to let you stay together and get to know each other. You were ****, especially after the conversation with your dad. But Doctor Kerry pointed out that part of your mom lived on - Stephanie was her legacy, in a sense. And she felt completely lost and alone, and would benefit from being with you.

The talk made you feel guilty, like you were tarnishing your mother's memory by not trying to reach out to the person whose life she save. So you agreed.

A few hours later they wheeled her in. Your heart stopped for a second when you first saw her, all your senses and instincts screaming at you that your mom was still alive. You weren't sure what to say to her with the nurses and staff around. Doctor Kerry 'introduced' you to her, playing up the pretense that she was in fact your mother but suffering from amnesia. You went along with him, acting the part of the concerned son. It wasn't until a few hours later when you finally got the chance to speak openly with her.

You weren't sure what to expect - what you'd seen of Amber Knights gave you images of your mom now being foul-mouthed and slutty. But she was in fact rather reserved and polite to you. It quickly became clear to you that she didn't know what to do either.

Her obvious fear and loneliness touched you, and you soon opened up to her, answering her many questions about your mom and her life. She wanted to know about the woman who had given her a new chance at life.

By the end of the day you had formed a tentative friendship. Stephanie hadn't said much about herself, but you got the impression she was overwhelmed by the fact that her old life was gone - that she was now expected to be 'Jennifer Connors'.

Finally, after a few days, you decided to bring up that you knew who she really was and that you were a fan. That opened up some new avenues of conversation. Oddly enough that helped her to relax more and be open with you, becoming more of the confidant and self-assured woman you'd imagined her to be. She had been afraid that her past would cause problems - so you felt bad when you told her about your dad's reaction. You decided she had to know your dad's feelings before he came back.

She wasn't happy at your news. "How can live with you guys, even temporarily, if he thinks I'm a 'whore'?" she asked. "This whole thing is hard enough as it is! I've dealt with people like that before - in my 'old life' - but I ...I can't handle that right now, not with everything else," she said becoming distraught.

You tried to comfort her, having become fairly close over the last few days. But you knew your father and, honestly, didn't think it would go well. "Dad CAN be very caring and loving. In any other circumstances he'd be totally sympathetic, I'm sure," you said. "Maybe if he had time to get to know you like I have. It's just..."

"That I'm a porn star!" she interrupted. "If only he didn't know..."

Suddenly you had an idea. "Maybe there IS a way..." you started to say.

She looked at you questioningly.

"The story is that you have memory loss because of the injury. What if we tell dad that you really do have amnesia - that you don't remember anything about being Stephanie? I can say that I've already told you that you are my mom, Jennifer Connors, and that you believed it. You look like Mom - I mean, you have her body - so I think he'd accept you."

You fell silent while she pondered your idea. "I'm not sure I like starting off with such a lie - but I don't guess it's any worse than the lie we're telling everyone else," she said softly as if to herself. A little more loudly she added "Perhaps that would be best. I don't think I can live my whole life like that, but maybe for the next few weeks or months - just long enough to get used to my new life and body. I can always go off on my own after that...."

She met your gaze. "But no matter what, I'd like us to remain close, Tim. You've been a good friend to me this week and that means alot. I know it can't be easy, given the way I look. So thanks."

You nodded but said nothing. You weren't sure about that. You did feel like you'd developed a friendship with Stephanie, but you suspected, if you were honest with yourself, that her appearance made it EASIER. In a weird way you had been able to pretend that she really was your mother.

The two of you made your plans and explained them to Doctor Kerry. He more or less had washed his hands of the non-medical aspects of the case. "It's up to you how you handle this," he explained. "As far as the hospital is concerned, you ARE Jennifer Connors. Stephanie Burke died on in the OR."

After you checked out, you continued to visit Stephanie daily. You even brought in your siblings after explaining about your mother's 'memory loss'. They easily accepted your explanation and were happy to see her, greeting her cautiously at first but then trying to 'remind' her of various things about your family.

You also called your father to let him know you had been discharged. You also worked on his attitude about Stephanie, giving him the story you had prepared. He was surprised when you told him about her amnesia and that she believed she was who she appeared to be. You explained that this was an opportunity to 'save' your mom - in effect you had all been given a second chance with her. You felt guilty lying to your dad but you really had a connection with Stephanie and didn't want her to suffer your dad's prejudice and anger.

Fortunately he was delayed and had to stay the full ten days. That gave Stephanie time to be discharged as well and began to get used to your home. She looked through picture albums and letters of your mom, and watched your home videos. So when your father finally returned, she was able to look and, for the most part, act like your mother - at least enough so that your dad instantly took to her, pushing aside his earlier disgust and treating her like he did your real mom.

Over the next several weeks, Stephanie became more adept at living as Jennifer Connors. Everyone treated her as your mom, constantly 'reminding' her of things and trying to help. Only you knew the REAL truth, so Stephanie only truly relaxed when she was alone with you. She grew more and more confident as well, feeling less lost in her new life. She did seem to get along well with your father, apparently having sex with him much more than your real mom had. But she started to feel more trapped in your mom's life and wanted a change, so she began....